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“Evie, come quick! You have to see this!” she gushes excitedly, waving me to follow her. I hold up my notepad, but she’s practically bouncing on her heels with excitement. Placing my notepad down with a sigh, I follow her into the staff lunchroom. It’s packed and full of staff members crowded around the small TV in here when they should be working.
“Wha– Jesus, Zoey, I have things to do,” I whine at her when she reaches over and grabs my hand, yanking me to the front as she pushes past everyone. My feet halt when I see the TV screen.
Looking for the remote, I notice Sarah has it and I take it from her, turning the volume up. A reporter is standing out in front of the rogue grade school, and huge buses are lined up along the road. The news reporter is positioned between them, but what’s most shocking is Valen standing in the background talking to men in construction uniforms.
My brows furrow, wondering what he’s doing at the school when the new anchorwoman starts speaking.
“Recently, I received some news that Alpha Valen has made a significant turn for the better, or so he claims. It is not just that he accepted a rogue as a mate; he has opened all of his borders to the rogues, permitting them to pass through or even move into his territory. Alpha Valen stated that other Alphas should accept change and follow suit by opening their borders.
“As you can see behind me,” she gestures behind her. “He has also gone a step further and has accepted all students from this rundown school, welcoming them into the pack schools on his territory. His bizarre behavior is believed to be a result of learning the son of his rogue mate, who he also claims is his own child, attends this school,” the woman says. She then prattles on about some other crap he was supposedly up to and how I managed to fool the Alpha with outlandish claims that Valarian is his. Turning, I look at all my staff as Zoe shakes my arm.
“Did you know?” she asks. I shake my head. I had no idea whatsoever; he left this morning without telling me where he was going.
“I know he said he would open up the borders, but…” I stop, trying to wrap my head around the news, it seems too good to be true.
“That's not all; he’s turning the old school into a homeless shelter. Marcus called me this morning. Valen also put a statement out this morning for any rogues looking for work, telling them they can apply to all his personally owned businesses, as well as welcoming them to apply for any positions available on his pack land,” Zoe exclaims.
“We also had workers out at the commune this morning,” Sarah says behind her, making me turn to look at her.
“Construction workers?” I ask.
“Yes, they were ripping the fences down that border his pack and said they were building a road into the place,” Sarah says excitedly.
I blink, unsure what to say; turning back to the TV, it’s footage of kids lining up to get on the buses to go to their new school.
“About time things changed around here. If only the other packs would adopt this change as well,” Sarah murmurs, and I look at Zoe, chewing my lip.
“Maybe we can make them?” I tell her, and her brows furrow.
“I'm no longer a rogue; I’m a Luna of the city now. I can petition the council, and remove the laws.”
“Girl, do you have any idea how hard that is? I investigated that shit years ago. You need to have at least five council member signatures on that, and as far as I can tell, you’ll only get two: yours and Valen’s. The other three packs won't agree, and no way your father will sign after the drama from last night,” Sarah tells me, and I sigh.
“Alpha Nixon and his wife definitely won't sign,” I murmur to myself. So that only leaves one other Alpha and Luna, so I would still be a signature short, and that’s if they even agreed.
“Not to mention, you need them to approve it before you can even bring it before the council members. You can put it forth, but that doesn't mean they’ll agree to hear it, let alone call in a meeting over it,” Macey says, getting up from her spot on the small sofa.
“We’ll find a way. I have to petition for it first anyway, which will take a couple of days.”
“No, first you need to let Valen mark you. You aren't Luna until he does,” Macey tells me with a smirk on her face.
“Right, that too, I guess,” I admit. I can’t help but feel nervous, though I know I don't need to be; old anxieties are hard to let go of. Yet, looking back at the TV, there is no one else I would rather be tied to than my mate.
ChapterSeventy-Two
Valen
Three hours earlier
My thoughts are all over the place as soon as I wake up. Everly is still asleep beside me, but I don't want to wake her. Rolling over, I spot the letter from my mother. The storage shed was a real eye-opener for me about the struggles she faced. My father, growing up, had never once said a bad word about her, only that she was Omega and he loved her.
He never mentioned she refused to conform to our way of life; he never told me she was one of the original rogues from whom this land was taken.
I rummage through the storage locker for hours. This entire city belonged to her family. In search of a better future for their daughter, my grandparents sold pieces of it off, selling it to the different packs that now reside here under the pretense that it would create a better future for my mother.
Only, it did the opposite, and they were thrust into the middle of a turf war—the very turf they owned, land that was once theirs, only to be turned into what it is today. Two generations of fighters. My grandparents wanted the city to remain free—free for anyone to live without the sanctions the packs brought forth. Instead, the city turned into a prison, one ruled by the packs that bought the land out with the promising to maintain my grandparents' way of life.
Instead, it stripped them from it. Looking at Everly, it’s a similar circumstance. She was stripped bare of everything she thought she would have, only to end up placed within the sanctions of the packs that surrounded us. A future set to repeat because of greed and blindness to what they’re forcing those less fortunate to endure.
